Incident remains mystery

The homeless man found bleeding from numerous head and upper body injuries Monday has taken a turn for the worse as police investigate whether he was beaten or suffered a serious accident.

By chris conrad

The homeless man found bleeding from numerous head and upper body injuries Monday has taken a turn for the worse as police investigate whether he was beaten or suffered a serious accident.

The condition of Larry Vernon Singleton, 39, has been downgraded by doctors at Rogue Regional Medical Center from serious to critical, two days after restaurant workers found him outside Cicily's Pastaria and Grill bloody and unresponsive on a bench near the front door.

Singleton suffered fractures to his skull and neck, which have left him unable to speak. Investigators are left with little to go on as to what might have caused his injuries, Medford police Lt. Mike Budreau said.

"Unfortunately, we are not getting any good information in this case," Budreau said. "This is unusual, because we have spoken with those in his circle and they have no idea how he ended up this way."

Singleton had no obvious enemies and is known to be quiet and keep to himself, Budreau said.

"No one said he was up to any trouble or that anyone had a beef with him," Budreau said.

Usually in major assault cases, rumors and theories fly among the victim's friends and family. Often, this information can lead to a break in the case. Not this time, however.

Rosalina Bulux, a cook at Cicily's Pastaria and Grill, arrived at work Monday morning with co-workers to find Singleton sitting on the bench.

"He had blood on his hands and on his face," Bulux said. "I knew it was time to call 911 when we saw him."

The restaurant sits in the retail center at 1251 E. McAndrews Road, but police suspect he might have walked there after suffering the injuries.

Detectives have learned that Singleton suffers debilitating seizures on a regular basis and often falls to the ground.

"We do know that he has been known to hit his head when he falls," Budreau said. "It is possible that he suffered these injuries this way."

He had no alcohol or drugs in his system when he was brought in for treatment, Budreau said.

Detectives are not rushing to conclusions, Budreau said.

"We are going to take our time and see if this is an assault or not," he said. "If it is, then we want to get someone in custody as soon as we can."

Bulux said she is concerned for Singleton's well-being after seeing him on the bench that morning.